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attended the Technical University of Hamburg…Harburg； all seem to have been recruited
to al…Qaeda through cells and prayer groups…after they moved to Europe。
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None of these plotters was recruited in the Middle East and then planted in Europe
years in advance by bin Laden； notes Karatnycky。 To the contrary； virtually all of
them seem to have lived in Europe on their own； grown alienated from the European
society around them； gravitated to a local prayer group or mosque to find warmth and
solidarity； undergone a 〃born…again〃 conversion； gotten radicalized by Islamist
elements； gone off for training in Afghanistan； and presto； a terrorist was born。
Their discovery of religion was not just part of a personal search for meaning。 It
went far beyond fundamentalism。 They converted Islam into a political ideology； a
religious totalitarianism。 Had the 9/11 hijackers been students at Berkeley in the
early 1970's； they would have been Trotskyite radicals。 〃To understand the September
11 terrorists； we should have in mind the profile of the classic revolutionary：
deracinated； middle class； shaped in part by exile。 In other words； the image of Lenin
in Zurich； or of Pol Pot or Ho Chi Minh in Paris 。 。 。 For them Islamism is the new
universal revolutionary creed； and bin Laden is Sheikh Guevara；〃 writes Karatnycky。
〃Like the leaders of America's Weather Underground； Germany's Baader…Meinhof Gang；
Italy's Red Brigades； and Japan's Red Army Faction； the Islamic terrorists were
university…educated converts to an all…encompassing neo…totalitarian ideology。〃
My friend Abdallah Schleifer； a journalism professor in Cairo； actually knew Ayman
al…Zawahiri； bin Laden's number two and chief ideologue； when al…Zawahiri was a young
doctor on his way to becoming a young neo…Leninist Muslim revolutionary。 〃Ayman was
attracted from the time he was a teenager into a Utopian vision of an Islamic state；〃
Schleifer told me on a visit to Cairo。 But instead of being drawn to the traditional
concern of religion…the relationship between oneself and God…al…Zawahiri became
drawn to religion as a political ideology。 Like a good Marxist or Leninist；
al…Zawahiri was interested in 〃building the Kingdom of God on earth；〃 said Schleifer；
and Islamism became his Marxism…his 〃utopian ideology。〃 And where Mohammed Atta meets
al…Zawahiri is the intersection where rage and humiliation meet the ideology that
is going to make it all right。 〃Ayman is saying to someone like Mohammed Atta； 'You
see injustice？ We have a system…a system； mind
you； a system…that will give you ＇justice＇； not a religion； because religion gives
you inner peace。' It doesn't necessarily solve any social problem。 But ＇al…Zawahiri＇
is saying we have a system that will give you justice。 You feel frustration？ We have
a system that will enable you to flower。 The system is what we call Islamism…an
ideological； highly politicized Islam； in which the spiritual content…the personal
relationship ＇with God＇ … is taken out of Islam and instead it is transformed into
a religious ideology like fascism or communism。〃 But unlike the Leninists； who wanted
to install the reign of the perfect class； the working class； and unlike Nazis； who
wanted to install the reign of the perfect race； the Aryan race； bin Laden and
al…Zawahiri wanted to install the reign of the perfect religion。
Unfortunately； bin Laden and his colleagues have found it all too easy to enlist
recruits in the Arab…Muslim world。 I think this has to do； in part； with the state
of half…flatness that many Arab…Muslim young people are living in； particularly those
in Europe。 They have been raised to believe that Islam is the most perfect and complete
expression of God's monotheistic message and that the Prophet Muhammed is God's last
and most perfect messenger。 This is not a criticism。 This is Islam's self…identity。
Yet； in a flat world； these youth； particularly those living in Europe； can and do
look around and see that the Arab…Muslim world； in too many cases； has fallen behind
the rest of the planet。 It is not living as prosperously or democratically as other
civilizations。 How can that be？ these young Arabs and Muslims must ask themselves。
If we have the superior faith； and if our faith is all encompassing of religion；
politics； and economics； why are others living so much better？
This is a source of real cognitive dissonance for many Arab…Muslim youth…the sort
of dissonance； and loss of self…esteem； that sparks rage； and leads some of them to
join violent groups and lash out at the world。 It is also the sort of dissonance that
leads many others； average folks；to give radicalgroups like al…Qaeda passive support。
Again； the flattening of the world only sharpens that dissonance by making the
backwardness of the Arab…Muslim region； compared to others； impossible to ignore。
It has become so impossible to ignore that some Arab…Muslim intellectuals have started
to point out this backwardness with brutal honesty and to demand
solutions。 They do this in defiance of their authoritarian governments； who prefer
to use their media not to encourage honest debate； but rather to blame all their
problems on others…on America； on Israel； or on a legacy of Western colonialism…on
anything and anyone but the dead hand of these authoritarian regimes。
According to the second Arab Human Development Report； which was written in 2003 for
the United Nations Development Program by a group of courageous Arab social scientists；
between 1980 and 1999； Arab countries produced 171 international patents。 South Korea
alone during that same period registered 16；328 patents。 Hewlett…Packard registers；
on average； 11 new patents a day。 The average number of scientists and engineers
working in research and development in the Arab countries is 371 per million people；
while the world average； including countries in Africa； Asia； and Latin America； is
979； the report said。 This helps to explain why although massive amounts of foreign
technology are imported to the Arab regions； very little of it is internalized or
supplanted by Arab innovations。 Between 1995 and 1996； as many as 25 percent of the
university graduates produced in the Arab world immigrated to some Western country。
There are just 18 computers per 1；000 people in the Arab region today； compared with
the global average of 78。3 per 1；000； and only 1。6 percent of the Arab population
has Internet access。 While Arabs represent almost 5 percent of the world population；
the report said； they produce only 1 percent of the books published； and an unusually
high percentage of those are religious books…over triple the world average。 Of the
88 million unemployed males between fifteen and twenty…four worldwide； almost 26
percent are in the Middle East and North Africa； according to an International Labor
Organization study （Associated Press； December 26； 2004）。
The same study said the total population of Arab countries quadrupled in the past
fifty years； to almost 300 million； with 37。5 percent under fifteen； and 3 million
coming onto the job market every year。 But